Vijayawada: Giving rise to the suspicion that Chandrababu Naidu-led state govt might not prefer to scrap the controversial power sale agreement (PSA) with Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI), three power distribution companies (discoms) have confirmed decision to procure power from the SECI during 2025-26.
The discoms in their ARR filed with the APERC mentioned that they would receive around 4,191 million units from SECI in the next financial year. Since the ARRs were filed only last week, the experts in the energy sector observed that discoms might have secured ‘advise’ from the govt before the filing.
The previous YSRCP govt’s PSA with SECI stoked a huge controversy following bribery charges levelled against business tycoon Adani and his kin in United States. US prosecutors charged that Adanis secured the power contracts after bribing huge monies to Indian bureaucrats including a ‘top official’ in Andhra Pradesh.
Curiously, Andhra Pradesh power utilities signed PSA during YSRCP regime to purchase solar power from Central PSU-SECI which had actually procured power produced by Adani group installations. Although, the state govt did not have any direct pact with Adani group, the PPAs with SECI became a massive controversy after the US chargesheet came into light.
While the Congress and left parties have been demanding the state govt to scrap the deal with SECI, the state govt has been guarded in its reaction. Chief minister Chandrababu Naidu said that the govt is ‘exploring’ all the issues involved in the PSA, while finance minister Peyyavula Keshav had in fact hinted at going ahead with the PSA by saying that cancellation of PSAs would result in massive financial burden on the exchequer. Curiously, it was Keshav who challenged the PSAs in HC while he was in opposition.
According to ARR, the discoms projected the total power requirement in the state for 2025-26 at 84290mu. After deducting the transmission and distribution loss of about 8000mu, the discoms would supply around 75000 mu to its consumers. Discoms procured around 81,025 mu from different producers during 2024-25 (current fiscal) including 17,578 mu from the solar, wind power producers. Since the power consumption is expected to go up during the next fiscal, discoms projected the total requirement at 84390mu. The discoms wanted to procure around 14866mu from the renewable energy plants including solar and wind.
In fact, supplies from SECI should have commenced from Oct 2024 as per the PPAs. Discoms said that the supply of about 1000 mw is expected since the start from Jan 2025 due to the delay in completion of grid synchronization work from the developers. The SECI promised to start supply of 3000 mw from Oct 2024, another 3000mw in 2025-26 and 1000mw in 2026-27.
